Sakai White #2 Usuba 180mm

The Usuba is a traditional vegetable knife used by professional Japanese chefs. Like other Japanese professional knives, usuba are chisel ground, and have a bevel on the front side, and have a hollow ground urasuki on the back side. Like all usubas this knife has a flat edge, with virtually no curve. It is tall, to allow knuckle clearance when chopping on a cutting board.

Usuba literally means "thin blade," which is required for cutting through firm vegetables without cracking them. Due to its height and straight edge, usuba are also used for specialized cuts such as katsuramuki (shaving a vegetable cylinder into a thin sheet). This particular knife shape is known as a Kamagata Usuba.

The blade is made from the popular Hitachi White #2 carbon steel with an iron cladding. It will corrode if not cared for properly. The inner core steel takes and keeps a good edge and it is quite easy to sharpen. But do remember that this is a single bevel blade as so it is only suitable for righties!

The simple ho wood handle has a D-shaped profile and is attached to the blade with a buffalo horn ferrule. A really nice custom saya and pin complete the package.

Weight: 5.8 ounces

Blade Length: 173 mm

Total Length: 320 mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 3.8 mm

Blade Height: 44.4 mm